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Monthly Archives: October 2015

Recently we found out some exciting news: following 12 months of to’ing and fro’ing, the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE) has been granted Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Status, meaning it’s now a fully fledged charity organisation.

Not only did King & Wood Mallesons provide pro bono legal advice throughout the process, they also have offered to throw a celebration event on Wednesday 28th October.

Friends of NICHE are invited to come along, network and share in the celebration of this milestone in NICHE’s evolution to a charity organisation ready to work across regional, rural and remote Australia in partnership with communities and mainstream organisations.

If you would like to join the event, simply RSVP your full name and an e-mail address to daniel@thatssogay.com.au before Wednesday 21st October and we’ll confirm you’re on the Guest List for the evening.

I look forward to sharing in the NICHE journey thus far, and I look forward to more LGBTI work across regional, rural and remote Australia.

Following up his work with cohealth’s 400 staff and 19 sites across Melbourne’s West, Daniel Witthaus, Founder and CEO of the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE) has completed Stage One of an LGBTI Inclusion Project with ISIS Primary Care.

Located across Melbourne’s West, Daniel was asked to train staff ahead of the organisations moves to gain the Rainbow Tick accreditation in coming years. In Stage One, Daniel has trained 40% of ISIS Primary Care staff, including all of the Executive Management Team, all Intake Assessment and Customer Service staff. This was a priority area identified by the community representatives on the organisation’s Diversity Committee.

Hundreds and hundreas of staff heard about the latest research about LGBTI people’s experience of mainstream health services, the three critical points of a client’s care journey* and practical strategies for supporting LGBTI people and challenging homophobia and transphobia.

* developed by the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE)…www.niche.org.au

Following up February’s ‘OUT IS IN’ forum on local government areas in Melbourne’s West and local LGBTI communities, the six Council areas launched the ‘OUT IS IN’ report.

In February, 110 people from the six local government areas in Melbourne’s west gathered at The Substation to talk about how life had changed for them in recent years, what was still missing for them and what their hopes for the future were.

Report writer, Daniel Witthaus, Founder and CEO of the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE) facilitated the original conversation, whilst Kaye Sera entertained the crowds and Kenton Penley Miller captured it all with cartoons.

Travelling to the Victoria/NSW border, Daniel Witthaus, Founder and CEO of the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE), gave a keynote presentation to Intereach staff who’d come from halfway across NSW.

About 100 staff heard about the latest research about LGBTI people’s experience of mainstream health services, the three critical points of a client’s care journey* and practical strategies for supporting LGBTI people and challenging homophobia and transphobia. Daniel also chatted with local ABC radio about his work.

* developed by the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE)…www.niche.org.au

Daniel took time to escape Melbourne’s winter and visit Europe for the first time in a few years. Along the way he spent his birthday with his second “family” in his beloved Berlin, visited one of his best friends in Iceland, stopped for a few days in Budapest and then travelled across Romania with his ex.

Melbourne High was the venue for LGBTI students and their allies to gather for the second Stand Up, Stand Out Day. Attending from schools from across Victoria, students attended a range of workshops delievered by the Safe Schools Coalition and Minus18.

Daniel Witthaus, author of Beyond ‘That’s So Gay!’ and Beyond Priscilla, Founder and CEO of the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE), delivered workshops where students shared their own experiences at their school and considered how they’d continue to respond to everyday homophobia and transphobia. The day was a unique opportunity for students to gather and discuss their school experience, given many reported the isolation they could sometimes feel in their own school community.

July and August were big months for LGBTI issues in the family violence sector.

Daniel Witthaus, Founder and CEO of the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE), attended the Royal Commission into Family Violence’s LGBTI Consultation session. He joined people from the same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse communities to talk about how family violence and the LGBTI communities intersect.

In addition, as part of his work with No To Violence and the Men’s Referral Service, Daniel co-presented a forum with a transgender advocate with vast experience in male family violence prevention and a Masters student to look at the barriers to LGBTI people accessing the traditional men’s behaviour change program sector. Around 40 people from across the integrated family violence service system gathered to start thinking about how Victoria might progress this vital conversation.

As part of their education sessions for staff on the impact of their work on the community, Daniel Witthaus, Founder and CEO of the National Institute for Challenging Homophobia Education (NICHE), co-presented with Tony from the Red Cross.

Daniel gave an overview of his work and the importance of King & Wood Mallesons’ pro bono support to gain charity status to further its LGBTI work in rural Australia.